StrongLifts 5x5 and Calorie Count

WatchJoshLift
WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I started doing StrongLifts a few weeks ago, and tomorrow I will be squatting 100 lbs, OHP 65 lbs, and DL 135 pounds. Mehdi states that if you're otherwise sedentary apart from doing SL, and are currently lifting light, then you should eat your current weight X 15 k/cal per day in order to maintain.

I am 5'10", weigh 165 pounds, and other than StrongLifts I am pretty sedentary due to my desk job. Mehdi's formula above puts my maintenance calories at 2475 per day. That seems a little high. Has anyone actually used Mehdi's formula? What are your thoughts?

Replies

  • it4solution
    it4solution Posts: 2 Member
    Try the calculator at iifym.com
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,328 Member
    I am the same height, 49 years old, 230ish pounds and lose at a fair pace on 2100 a day and I don't lift at the moment or do huge amounts of exercise. For you age and the fact that you are lifting, that number sounds fine. You might even be able to go a little higher. I would go with it for 4 weeks take measurements of you body, weight, and a picture or two, then logging what you eat carefully see what happens both in terms of weight, but also in terms of body measurements and photographic comparison. That will tell you far more. From that you can determine 1) If you are gaining fat or muscle 2) What is happening with your measurements 3) Whether you should eat more or less.

    This might not be the sort of answer you want, but as I said, 2475 does not sound unreasonable to me.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Run_Fit wrote: »
    I started doing StrongLifts a few weeks ago, and tomorrow I will be squatting 100 lbs, OHP 65 lbs, and DL 135 pounds. Mehdi states that if you're otherwise sedentary apart from doing SL, and are currently lifting light, then you should eat your current weight X 15 k/cal per day in order to maintain.

    I am 5'10", weigh 165 pounds, and other than StrongLifts I am pretty sedentary due to my desk job. Mehdi's formula above puts my maintenance calories at 2475 per day. That seems a little high. Has anyone actually used Mehdi's formula? What are your thoughts?

    I am 33 yr old, 5'11, 175 lb, male, with a desk job and excise 5-6 hours a week. I maintain at 3000 calories and cut at 2400.


    Either way, all formulas are estimates and should give tried (while tracking with a food scale) for 4-6 weeks and adjusted based on actual results.
  • toughmudderMN
    toughmudderMN Posts: 129 Member
    Seems close enough. It really will come down to how hard your are working in the gym. A serious heavy lifting session only burns 300-400 cals per hour. The best way to hone in on your true maintenance is to eat and burn the same amount of calories each day for at least a month ( it took me two). Then chart out your weight. If your are in an uptrend with your weight, cut back on the calories ( vice versa with a down trend).
  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
    Thanks for the input everyone! Maybe Mehdi isn't as crazy as I thought he was, lol!

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